An Australian Bee Sting Vaccine Trial Promises Against Allergic Reactions

Most people have probably been bitten by a bee and although it may be painful, this is especially dangerous for the many people who are at risk of suffering a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Australian researchers have completed a human trial on a vaccine designed to eliminate the risk of a serious allergic reaction to bee stings in Europe.

Clinical trials conducted at Flinders University and the Royal Adelaide Hospital included 27 adults with a history of allergic reactions to bee stings.

The vaccine used in the trial contained a unique sugar-based ingredient called adjuvant, developed in Australia and designed to help the body more quickly neutralize bee venom.

Professor Nikolai Petrovsky said that the adjuvant used to improve bee sting vaccines has been successfully administered to more than a thousand people through a range of vaccines, especially in the context of the ongoing test on allergy.

"Our technology, it's like adding a turbocharger to a car and, in this case, makes the bee allergy vaccine much more potent, thus allowing the immune system to better neutralize bee venom and to prevent allergic symptoms, "says Professor Petrovsky.

Associate Professor Robert Heddle, principal investigator of the trial, said the goal was to see if the Advax adjuvant would safely accelerate and improve sting immunotherapy. bee.

"The results of the study were very promising and confirmed the safety of this approach to improve immunotherapy with bee stings."

Dr. Anthony Smith, investigator of the trial, said that a commercial bee venom therapy was already available, but that patients had to receive more than 50 injections over a period of 3 years so to strengthen their immune system.

"The current treatment option for severe bee venom allergies is long and tedious, so I hope this improved bee venom therapy provides faster, more effective protection." durable, bee stings for allergy sufferers. "

The adjuvant Advax, which enhances bee sting vaccines, was developed in Adelaide by Vaxine Pty Ltd and has also been used to develop vaccines for seasonal and pandemic flu, hepatitis , malaria, Alzheimer's disease, cancer and other diseases.